The Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, a meeting of church “messengers” who convene to discuss the ins and outs of the Convention, comes to the George R Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston from June 11 through June 12, 2013. This year’s annual meeting of the SBC is more than just a business meeting. Messengers will have the opportunity to listen to great sermons, share in community worship, learn about other ministries around the country, as well as be a part of important policymaking for the Baptist church.

Worship through music will kick off the meeting, and Clifton Perry, a colonel and chaplain with the U.S. Air Force, will lead the messengers in prayer. Reports will be given throughout the two days, on topics like crossover evangelism, library and archives, theological seminary, nominations, and ethics and religious liberty. A benediction will be given at the close of each day, as well as prayers throughout both days.

The Lancaster Hotel is a great choice for accommodations while in town for this important meeting. Get a ride from our shuttle service to the convention center every day, and take advantage of our location by getting in some theater and good food after you’re done for the night. We’d love to take care of you.

For more information, contact us or make your reservation online.

The Lancaster’s newly renovated interiors echo classic American styling with a bow to the hotel’s Theater District location.  The décor incorporates men’s suiting fabrics mixed with a rich palette of luxurious accents and furnishings. The lobby, which opens to the surrounding downtown streetscape to introduce more natural light, is an active gathering space that flows into the reception area, meeting space and The Bistro restaurant.

Deluxe King, ADA Queen Rooms, Double Rooms with two Queen beds, seven suites and two VIP Suites feature premier bedding with down duvet, feather pillows and back-supported mattress pad; 42-inch flat screen TV with cable and movie selections; writing desk; safe; mini-refrigerator; coffee maker with complimentary coffee; hair dryer; and iron with full-size ironing board. Carrera marble finishes grace the guestroom bath floors, countertops and showers. The bathroom fittings are by WaterWorks, making The Lancaster the first and only Houston hotel to offer this prestigious brand of plumbing accoutrements.

Package Includes:

• $15 overnight parking
• 2 drink coupons for our Bistro Bar
• A Lancaster backpack with two bottled waters
• Shuttle will leave at 10am from hotel and will arrive at 3:30pm for pick up at The Galleria [Reservations for the shuttle must be made at check-in.]

3 day cancellation policy – reservations must be cancelled by 3pm, 3 days before arrival in order to avoid any penalties

To reserve, call us at 713-228-9500 to make a reservation or reserve online with promo code SHOP.

All room amenities include the following:

• Breakfast Buffet
• High Speed Internet Access (Wi-Fi available through-out hotel)
• Hosted Wine Reception – Monday through Thursday evenings in our lobby
• Access to our fitness room
• Local and toll free phone calls
• Suburban Car Service in a 3 mile radius
• Coffee Service in our lobby

For more information contact us or Book a Room!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHzl0BcGKV8

But you can still be a winner – we will ask you one trivia question related to our own history about the Infamous Coin Toss and answer correctly to receive $25 food credit in the hotel’s restaurant or a room upgrade (based on availability).

Also enjoy as part of our coin toss package:

• Deluxe Accommodations for 2
• Two Beers and Assorted Nuts in your room upon arrival
• Late check-out: 1:00pm
• $15 parking [if needed]

To reserve, call us to make a reservation or reserve online with promo code COIN.

The Lancaster Hotel, named after Lancaster, England, wasn’t always the refined boutique hotel you see when you walk through the iconic brass doors.  Before it was the Lancaster, it was the 200-room Auditorium Hotel, named for the City Auditorium located on the block now occupied by Jones Hall.  Though the Auditorium Hotel had once been the site of many memorable events in history, by the 1980s, time had taken its toll.  It needed an update.  Through a reenvisioning, the Auditorium was repositioned from the now dated hotel developed by Michele DeGeorge in 1926 to the 93-room Lancaster Hotel Houstonians and travelers see today.

From 1983 to December, 2005, The Lancaster was operated by a third party under a lease agreement. At the end of that lease term it was time to plan for another renovation at the guest experience level. A family meeting was held.  Most of the family was ready to be relieved of the responsibility associated with a business like the Lancaster, and so it was decided that all of the co-owned assets be divided among the three families—the Lusks, the Toomeys, and the Smiths.  Appraisals of all the assets took place and the properties, by value, were divided into three groups to be redistributed. When the Toomeys and Lusks both expressed interest in the hotel ownership, this being Texas, a place where decisions of this nature are made all the time by way of a gun duel or a coin toss, the two families decided to go the less dangerous route and flip a coin for the Lancaster.

A few weeks later, Charlie Lusk, representing the Lusk family, went to the Toomeys’ house where Lenora Smith, a member of the third family, flipped the coin.  That coin was a 1941 silver quarter.  Charlie had taken to holding onto older quarters—those stamped before 1964, when they were still made of silver—and some time before had been handed the 1941 piece serendipitously through a purchase at a local Starbucks.  When Charlie arrived at the Toomeys’ house, he asked, “Do you have a Krugerrand?  We have to use something better than an ole alloy American coin for a decision as momentous as ownership of the Lancaster.”  The Toomeys didn’t, so Charlie pulled the silver quarter out of his pocket.  Charlie offered the call of the coin toss to the Toomeys but they deferred to Charlie.

Lenora flipped the coin in the air.  Charlie had tossed the coin himself four times going down the stairs of his own house earlier that afternoon—getting heads, heads, tails, tails.  Obviously, it didn’t matter. As Charlie called the coin in the air—heads—he watched Lenora’s and the Toomeys’ faces.  From where he was sitting, he couldn’t see the coin as it landed on the floor, but he could see the looks on their faces.  Luck was just as important as heritage in this case.  The coin landed on heads to which the Toomeys shook Charlie’s hand and graciously wished the Lusks good luck with the hotel.

Integrity, honor, and a coin were all that were needed to divide a few assets among many heirs that day.  From a single flip of a coin, a partitioning agreement could be executed.  The Lusk family got back to the business of continuing the Lancaster’s transformation, making substantial repairs and improvements to the building, and, is now embarking on a massive renovation of the entire hotel, scheduled for completion by mid-2013. The Lancaster’s next transformation will begin March 15.

Classes and events begin on October 29, preview night is Oct. 31, and the main show dates are Nov. 1 through 4. Special events include lectures, shopping trips, and tours of the Texas Quilt Museum, along with classes on everything from machine quilting to design fundamentals.

On display during the festival will be award-winning quilts from all over America and the world, African-American quilts, a collection of floral and nature-themed quilts, beautiful works of silk, and much more. Meanwhile, aisles of exhibit booths will offer all kinds of fabrics and quilting supplies to tempt even the most well-stocked crafters.

Whether you’re coming to Houston for the whole week or just the weekend, we invite you to stay with us at the Lancaster Hotel. We’re a historic hotel with all the charm and comfort of a handmade quilt – and best of all, we’re just moments away from the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Contact us for more information or to book a room. Click here to buy tickets to the International Quilt Festival or register for classes.

Breakbulk Americas 2012, the most important North American conference and exhibition of companies involved in heavy-lift transportation, breakbulk shipping, and project cargo, will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Oct. 8-11.

This gathering will give breakbulk shippers the opportunity to meet with the specialized carriers, ports, terminals, and packers who have the expertise and resources to deal with oversized cargoes and their unique handling requirements.

More than 230 international exhibitors at Breakbulk Americas will include the world’s major carriers, forwarders, terminals, ports, and packers that handle heavy-lift, project and breakbulk cargoes. The event will also feature educational workshops, networking opportunities, and a two-day conference in which industry leaders will address today’s most pressing trade and transportation issues.

Looking for a place to stay while you’re attending the Breakbulk Americas conference? For a change of pace, try the Lancaster Hotel. We’re a lovely historic hotel located in the heart of downtown Houston, just moments away from the George R. Brown Convention Center. For more information, contact us or book a room.

NAPE is the premier networking venue for the exploration and production (E&P) sector of the oil and gas industry, where thousands of buyers and sellers make business deals at hundreds of exhibit booths.

On Wednesday, the day before the exhibits open, the NAPE Business Conference will feature top oil and gas executives and experts discussing topics ranging from recent technological advances to community relations.

The Expo will also include the NAPE Charities Industry Luncheon on Thursday, an event that offers participants a chance to give generously to worthy causes. The entire cost of the luncheon is underwritten by NAPE, and 100 percent of proceeds go directly to NAPE charities. Past beneficiaries of the luncheon have included Canine Companions for Independence and Support-A-Soldier.

If you’re attending NAPE in August, the Lancaster is the perfect home base for your stay in Houston. We’re a charming boutique hotel located just minutes away from the  George R. Brown Convention Center. Come check us out! For more information, contact us or book a room.